The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-12-22
OLD WORLD WORSHIP.
CRUClFlXES AT THE CROSSROADS
OF AUSTRIA AND BAVARIA.

Few things were more interesting to me
than the different modes of worship that
saw among the various nations W lose coun
tries travelled on my tour around the world
on bicycle. From the irreligiom cowboy OF
the wild west who prides himself on caring
Tor neither God, man nor devil, to the gentle
Hindoop eniteEt dragging his emacated body
hundreds Of miles that he may die on the
banks of the sacred Ganges, are many inter
SStnS forms of worship, many strange be
gefs.
In travelling along the roads of Catholic
Europe one of the most impressive things to
the obserVant American is the big crucitixes
erected at the crossroads.
As ono gets farther eastward into Catholic
Bavaria and Austria these crossroad cruel
fixes present very curious appearance. At
tached to the CroSSlike frame are seen saws,
axes, plowshares, hayrakes, pitchforlzs,
spades and all manner of agricultural nipple
ments. Sometimes the cruciflNes are varied
by snug little brick shrines containing
images of the Virgin Mary, sltndry of the
saints and gariCus Roman Catholic parapher-
MALTA Candles are burnt before the little
doll like images Of these wayside saints on
holy days and votive offerings are made by
the superstitious peasantry.
Five times day, in Mohammedan coun-
tries, the mue2Zin goes up on to the balcony
of the tall mjnaret and sings out in q voice
that can be heard half a mile away: "There
is no God but one God, and Mohammed is his
prophet" Hearing this the deyout Mussul-
tnan mulmurs "Allah-il-Allahn in response,
and pausing in whatever he may be doing he
spreads lis coat or something on the ground,
slips his shoes off and, prostrating himself
several times toward Mecca, recites sllndry
passages of the Koran. When the Moham-
medan enters the sacred precincts of the
mosque he leaves his shoes at the door and
enters in his stockinged feet or in light slim
pers especially provided at the door by an
attendant. The headgear is never removed
by the Mussulmans for religious exercises, as
with ourselves.
One of the most sanctimonious individuals
IN the world is the Persian. Belonging to the
| Shah branch Of the Mohalnmedan faith, the
| Persians fairly Guido the rest of the world.
| not excepting even our noble Christian selves,
in considering themselves the elect Of all the
peoples of the earth. In passing a Christian
in the bazars the Persian imam or seyced
will gather his flowing gown closely about
him, lest pcrchNnco it should brush against
the inldel and contaminate him by the con-
tact These people, too, would as soon think
Of committing suicide as drinking water from
the same cup as Christian. The Persians
are far more tanatical than the Turks
have been inside plenty af Turkish
mosques, and have stood on tho lninaret bal.
;niiy with the mueZIn and listened to him
shouting the summons to prayer; but to pen.
,trate into a Persian mosque would mean
IS A..
,,.a,. H., ~ ,a9il - ii''U
,,If +l,,,n, No., ,'i,i' '''',i
l,o,,o,.ni ~, 10 ',-s az
lie La,,,,o.i,.3i ,..,,,,1 ,I
alor f.D,, + s,., ,ii ~ NJ 10y
~. EarI,oIla ,,i, H., ,,,. ,,, t,, - a,,
boearo hin, m I ,,,,, ,,,.,. ti,,, e. o.,l,A
t,ato, Li,,r1e L., +,|,,,,,, l,i S,l,J ~ = 4I
t;t ~ .,,a,l i,,,4i, - " 'lo
s,.n, -. ~,
l,.loi,, ,,l,ti,,, ,e a., ;,1',.i " az
~, t 49,, 'G,'a, q" 1i
inc ~. ,,ie;+;,,l, az ~, tl,lrr oit,- lie
H.. fo,,'ti1i o,,1 ,5o,',.,,'t,,
,;,.i1ia,J ,,,I ,,,I;1 ~
,,,,;rt1,. ~ Ac,,., rt',.I oi,'i,
t,,,,l,,,,I, ~ I'', q, anu
tr,,,,a ,jr, ~ Ny,,.,,1,,, .-lo
IT., fon,. a., ,l-, s''i't
r,iIJ oo,,,,..,, i, eo,t,. I-I,a 'ai 81,
n,irl ,ya,,,Iar i,,+,ifiel., -. ;.,y
NJ tln Nnh.n,,,,,Ia,, ,oIi,, e,,,, 49, 80;
do,,toos VII, at GO, h.,
t,,,, to,'o,.I +t, ,,,,s+ M, o''i,'
tbat co,,nt, and porfo,n, tboi,.
nrosfratio,,; and rraverz thev r,onIJ faII ~
wonJern1 omong themselves ,,hv II I,,os
tb,t 7 too ala mo-, follow, .,,i+ Urh|. wac -
thntI of all IN, ,,,on,e 4tero on,itlod 20 -
INV forehood ia the p,n,,,d AND chm on+
.rTha,, is no cod save ono C,nd ord ,foho,,,'
,,,oI &. hi, ',,,.,,,l,ot- -
+ben, tbo+ most Christian. d,,.o+, ono a..
ont Of sovep to tbe worsbin If A1l,b and nv
,,,,n,oto tho ,,,,,ai,iro. g T., +hai,. ,,e
At hi. tbev would rngord ma With ,,,oa+o,
astoni.hn,o,t 4,o, ovn,.
,,,,,,.,, .,,,.o,,,, 1,,,,i A..
,,oa,o yybc NOW. .toro in ,,,,t, ya,,a,., , o,
Of tbo hic,,c1o ora ha,+hsus who viii ho,,o
,'o,,o 81 t,o C,hristio, ~. IsIomi+o ca IT.
o,o,l ill., a,o ,,,,,,to,.Ioss 1,,,.t 90
fho hodos If c.,.oss il, rnaado,,, Tba III
Iao, La,,o ;,t.,s+oI ,,'o,,,, Hin, ,,,;t,, e.,
,.,1o,. ~ NETT. Tha - ,,.a ,,,.ad. ~
or, ,,,l,,,,tair. Iirls and aI,;oat.
of ,,.,,,sti,, anI ,,o,,orotia,, No., o,,d tLa,
,,,no ani.o~s a troa n,ai, Loai ,,,o,,,,l ~,
1,,,,.a,, s+r,,i.,d r,it vol ,,a;n+ ,,,o,,Id
I a t,.oo Il,, soI.ctod fo tbo ,,,,,.,,oso
~ -,orslir nc ,orroyonti,,g, so,,,o r,,,ti,i,Ia,
o,oI III ., tI,a Hid, {r,,aIa,.I ~. o,,tI,,
:: M Ill - -, Ill -.